Fresh Ideas for Teaching and Assessment at University Level Most ideas have their origins elsewhere but sometimes they can lay forgotten and not be ‘main stream’ or in current practice. Sometimes they have been given little exposure in the past or be used in one discipline and not in another. Whatever their status they take on the mantle of ‘fresh’ when they are new to an audience and I hope that you will find something here that is fresh to you.

1. CAS
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Fresh Ideas for Teaching and Assessment
Ray Wallace

2. …… this presentation is based on a lecture and workshops which I gave at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow as Visiting Professor in October 2014

3. What do I mean by ‘Fresh Ideas’
Most ideas have their origins elsewhere but sometimes they can lay forgotten and not be ‘main stream’ or in current practice. Sometimes they have been given little exposure in the past or be used in one discipline and not in another. Whatever their status they take on the mantle of ‘fresh’ when they are new to an audience and I hope that you will find something here that is fresh to you.

4. ‘Tips’ and ‘tricks’ from an ‘old hand’ at teaching!
Criteria referenced assessment (project work)
Student negotiated learning (labs)
The ‘one minute lecture’ as an aid to focussed understanding
Fresh Ideas for Teaching and Assessment
Presentation content

5. ‘Tips’ and ‘tricks’ from an ‘old hand’ at teaching!
Fresh Ideas for Teaching and Assessment

6. Know and understand your content
Do not give too much information
Be prepared
Establish a good rapport with your audience
The ‘key secrets’

7. Know and understand your content
Do not give too much information
Be prepared
Establish a good rapport with your audience
The ‘key secrets’

8. Know and understand your content
Do not give too much information
Be prepared
Establish a good rapport with your audience
The ‘key secrets’

9. Know and understand your content
Do not give too much information
Be prepared
Establish a good rapport with your audience
The ‘key secrets’

10. Know and understand your content
Do not give too much information
Be prepared
Establish a good rapport with your audience
The ‘key secrets’

11. Know and understand your content
Do not give too much information
Be prepar
Establish a good rapport with your audience
The ‘key secrets’

12. Know and understand your content
Do not give too much information
Be prepared
Establish a good rapport with your audience
The ‘key secrets’

13. Know and understand your content
Do not give too much information
Be prepared
Establish a good rapport with your audience
The ‘key secrets’

14. Know and understand your content
Do not give too much information
Be prepared
Establish a good rapport with your audience
The ‘key secrets’

15. Be honest when you make a mistake or don’t know the answer to a question
Don’t embarrass or pick on individual students
Present as though you are passionate and really interested in your topic (even if you are not!)
Make eye contact with the audience
The ‘key secrets’

16. Don’t embarrass or pick on individual students
Present as though you are passionate and really interested in your topic (even if you are not!)
Make eye contact with the audience
The ‘key secrets’

17. Be honest when you make a mistake or don’t know the answer to a question
Don’t embarrass or pick on individual students
Present as though you are passionate and really interested in your topic (even if you are not!)
Make eye contact with the audience
The ‘key secrets’

18. Be honest when you make a mistake or don’t know the answer to a question
Don’t embarrass
Present as though you are passionate and really interested in your topic (even if you are not!)
Make eye contact with the audience
The ‘key secrets’

19. Be honest when you make a mistake or don’t know the answer to a question
Don’t embarrass or pick on individual students
Present as though you are passionate and really interested in your topic (even if you are not!)
Make eye contact with the audience
The ‘key secrets’

20. Be honest when you make a mistake or don’t know the answer to a question
Don’t embarrass or pick on individual students
Present as though you are passionate and really interested in your topic (even if you are not!)
Make eye contact with the audience
The ‘key secrets’

21. Be honest when you make a mistake or don’t know the answer to a question
Don’t embarrass or pick on individual students
Present as though you are passionate and really interested in your topic (even if you are not!)
Make eye contact with the audience
The ‘key secrets’

22. Be honest when you make a mistake or don’t know the answer to a question
Don’t embarrass or pick on individual students
Present as though you are passionate and really interested in your topic (even if you are not!)
Make eye contact with the audience
The ‘key secrets’

23. Be honest when you make a mistake or don’t know the answer to a question
Don’t embarrass or pick on individual students
Present as though you are passionate and really interested in your topic (even if you are not!)
Make eye contact with the audience
The ‘key secrets’

24. Focus on what is important
Repeat key points
Be approachable/let students ask questions in private if needs be
Do not be patronising
The ‘key secrets’

25. Focus on what is important
Repeat key points
Be approachable/let students ask questions in private if needs be
Do not be patronising
The ‘key secrets’

26. Focus on what is important
Repeat key points
Be approachable/let students ask questions in private if needs be
Do not be patronising
The ‘key secrets’

27. Focus on what is important
Repeat key points
Be approachable/let students ask questions in private if needs be
Do not be patronising
The ‘key secrets’

28. Focus on what is important
Repeat key points
Be approachable/let students ask questions in private if needs be
Do not be patronising
The ‘key secrets’

29. Focus on what is important
Repeat key points
Be approachable/let students ask questions in private if needs be
Do not be patronising
The ‘key secrets’

30. Focus on what is important
Repeat key points
Be approachable/let students ask questions in private if needs be
Do not be patronising
The ‘key secrets’

31. Focus on what is important
Repeat key points
Be approachable/let students ask questions in private if needs be
Do not be patronising
The ‘key secrets’

32. Focus on what is important
Repeat key points
Be approachable/let students ask questions in private if needs be
Do not be patronising
The ‘key secrets’

33. Criteria referenced assessment (project work)
Fresh Ideas for Teaching and Assessment

34. To put this in context we must first of all look at how we assess students

35. Assessments
Take many forms
Formative –used to provide feedback & generally does not contribute to the final grade
Summative –normally used to determine a final grade and measure achievement
Need to be set against reference points

36. Norm Referencing
Criterion Referencing
"Best practice in grading in higher education involves striking a balance between criterion-referencing and norm- referencing"
Easily recognizable, for example: if a question asks for three facts and the student gives three correct facts, three marks are awarded. Marks are totalled and the resulting normal distribution is then used to allocate grades to students based on a pre-determined proportion of grades.
Unlike norm-referencing, there is no pre-determined grade distribution (bell curve) and a student’s grade is not influenced by other students but is awarded by comparing his or her achievements with clearly stated criteria for learning outcomes and standards for particular levels of performance.

37. Criteria referenced assessment of project work is an aspect of
At the time we developed criteria referenced assessment of project work, the use of criterion referencing was not nearly so widespread as it is today

38. Project
Work

39. PROJECT WORK
There are many facets to project work
It requires a range of different skills
Some skills are subject specific
Many skills are generic
Skills are often viewed subjectively by different people
There is a need to quantify skills in a summative assessment

40. PROJECT WORK
There are many facets to project work
It requires a range of different skills
Some skills are subject specific
Many skills are generic
Skills are often viewed subjectively by different people
There is a need to quantify skills in a summative assessment

41. Skills are often viewed subjectively by different people

42. It was this problem in the early nineties at Nottingham Trent University that led myself and other colleagues to develop a competency based strategy to overcome difficulties we had with marking when over half of our final year students carried out their projects overseas

43. Intellectual & scientific input
Comprehension of the project
Day-to-day record keeping
Initiative
Communication skills
Practical skills
Organisation/Planning
Commitment & motivation
Extent of supervision
Nine Key Skill Areas

44. Each key skill area is assigned six competency levels which are arranged in random order in a table

45. C
R
ITERION
Intellectual & Scientific Input
Please tick ONE box
The student demonstrated an enquiring mind and an ability to innovate by controlling the direction of the project.
The student devised many aspects of the project independently.
The student made useful contributions to the development of the project.
The student showed an ability to devise practical or theoretical ideas facilitating the progress of the project.
The student provided only a few ideas and little personal contribution to the project.
The student provided a technical rather than an intellectual contribution to the project.
Six competency levels

46. C
R
ITERION
Intellectual & Scientific Input
Please tick ONE box
The student demonstrated an enquiring mind and an ability to innovate by controlling the direction of the project.
5
The student devised many aspects of the project independently.
3
The student made useful contributions to the development of the project.
2
The student showed an ability to devise practical or theoretical ideas facilitating the progress of the project.
4
The student provided only a few ideas and little personal contribution to the project.
0
The student provided a technical rather than an intellectual contribution to the project.
1
The six competency levels are given a weighting factor of 0-5

47. Outcomes
This method of assessment results in a much more consistent assessment of student abilities across different supervisors (both in our own institution and in partner institutions)
It solved the problem of how we could reconcile the differing marks given to students for projects carried out in different geographical locations
Students have a much clearer idea of the targets and goals which they need to achieve in order to obtain good grades

48. Student negotiated learning (labs)
Fresh Ideas for Teaching and Assessment

49. Specific example is organic practical laboratories but the concept and technique can be applied to many forms of activities that are assessed and where the lecturer in charge is looking for ways to ease the burden of marking

50. How can we make them more interesting?
How can we get the students more involved?
How can we develop additional skills in students?
How can we save marking time?
ORGANIC PRACTICAL LABORATORIES

52. Lecturer in charge of laboratory adopts a PROACTIVEapproach
WEEK 1

53. Lecturer in charge of laboratory adopts a PROACTIVEapproach
WEEK 2

54. Lecturer in charge of laboratory adopts a PROACTIVEapproach
WEEK 1-6

55. Meeting to mark laboratory work
Peer assessment –books are exchanged on a random basis
Samples prepared are laid out and arranged in a pecking order of visual quality by students with guidance from lecturer
Melting points and typical yields are disclosed
Answers to associated laboratory questions are discussed
Marks are assigned
Books are returned to individual students who can challenge the marker if they feel that their book has been unfairly marked
WEEK 8 (in students’ own time)
Marking session typically takes 1½ hours

56. Lecturer in charge of laboratory adopts a PROACTIVEapproach
WEEK 8 and beyond

57. BENEFITS
Students appear to be more enthusiastic about lab work
More interaction between students
Additional skills developed –for example negotiation skills
General improvement in overall marks (… but students who normally attempt to ‘play the system’ tend to receive lower ratings from their fellow students)
Happy atmosphere in laboratory
Marking completed by prearranged date and the students get their books back immediately, fully marked
Marking system open and each student has the opportunity to have a say in it

58. PROBLEMS
Some students object to this different approach to lab work
Some types of work (eg interpretation of nmr and ir spectra) are not amenable to marking by students
Students are not as good as the lecturer at assessing each others answers to questions (these are checked by lecturer and any gross errors corrected)

59. Reference
•Negotiation and Peer Assessment in the Organic Laboratory R G Wallace, Proceedings of Variety in Chemistry Teaching Meeting, York, September 1996, 35.
Cited by Simon B. Duckett, Nigel D. Lowe and Paul C. Taylor in Addressing Key Skills in the Chemistry Curriculum: Structured Learning Packages, UNIVERSITY CHEMISTRY EDUCATION 1998, 2 (2), “This concept of negotiating a mark scheme with students has been previously applied by Wallace”.

60. The ‘one minute lecture’ as an aid to focussed understanding
Fresh Ideas for Teaching and Assessment

61. The One Minute
Lecture

62. Definition:
A focussed lecture delivered in ONE minute

63. The ‘one minute lecture’ = Mini or Microlecture
‘Microlectures’ in a generic sense are short video clips and/or audio recordings
They have been discussed (generally in the United States) as a vehicle to engage students’ attention and which students can rerun to grasp important concepts
To be effective they need to be teamed with more in-depth study methods and discussion
They have tended to be used by academics almost exclusively to deliver material to students rather than an assessment of students’ understanding of topic areas

64. In my specialism of chemistry the one minute lecture traces its origins back to ‘A 60-second course in organic chemistry’
LeRoy A. McGrew, J. Chem. Educ., 1993, 70 (7), p 543
Chemists and chemistry educators need to improve chemistry's image to the lay public (an oft cry over the decades). McGrew provided the readers of his paper with lecture notes for the "One Minute Professor" to be used at cocktail parties and other social gatherings!

65. Purpose
Provide concise summary of a particular topic
Practise the art of giving a short talk
Introduce small chunks of chemistry to non-scientists
Identify important & apposite points of a given topic
Practice at structuring & presenting work at an appropriate level & within specific guidelines

66. Many different variants in the way that it can be run
Explored by a number of different people in different disciplines
Often now referred to as a ‘microlecture’
Methodology not just confined to chemistry
Core concept is that the message delivered is
•Focussed
•Succinct

67. Basics & ground rules
The lecture must have as its basis a written document
The lecture must be written in good English and have a logical structure, e.g. subheadings or divisions
The written presentation should be no longer than one side of A4 paper
You should be able to ‘deliver’ the lecture at a normal speaking speed in sixty seconds (error margin 55-65 seconds)
An overhead transparency should be produced to support the lecture (detail needs to be kept to a minimum here)
The lecture must contain a minimum number of relevant facts (this will depend on the topic area but a working guideline would be no more than 10) Some facts will be more important than others and your aim should be to emphasise 3 or 4

68. I shall use an example from
chemistry but you should not be
put off by that if you are a non-chemist as you should be able to see the principles which are involved
Level: First year undergraduate degree in chemistry

69. Example from chemistry –organometallic reagents potential content
1.Definition of an organometallic reagent
2.Types of organometallic reagents
3.Syntheses
4.Physical and spectroscopic properties
5.Structures
6.Historical aspects
7.Bonding in organometallic reagents
8.Applications

70. First approach:
1.Definition of an organometallic reagent
2.Types of organometallic reagent
3.Syntheses
4.Structures
5.Applications

71. Second approach:
1.Definition of an organometallic reagent
2.Bonding in organometallic reagents
3.Applications

73. Two approaches
•similar in that they both begin with a definition, yet they differ markedly in emphasis
•first approach ‘traditional’
•easy to incorporate factual material
•second approach
•more interesting and challenging
•less factual
•listener will clearly see you have got to grips with your subject if you adopt the second approach
DESCRIPTIVE
EXPLANATORY

74. Second approach -outline
•Definition of an organometallic reagent -‘compound which contains a bond between the element carbon and a metal’
•Bonding in organometallic reagents: (a) the MCbond polarisation makes the metal susceptible to nucleophilic attack and the carbon susceptible to electrophilic attack (b) the nature of the metal M affects the degree of polarisation of the MC bond
•Applications of organometallic reagents: (a) CC bond forming reactions via Grignards and alkyl lithium reagents (substitution) (b) reaction with carbonyl compounds and derivatives (nucleophilic addition)
Couple of examples to focus audience attention
Expand – electronegativity/type of bonding
Good simple examples required

75. A one-minute lecture on organometallic reagents FULL TEXT
•Organometallic reagents are organic compounds that contain a bond between carbon and a metal, such as lithium or magnesium.
•The polarity of a covalent bond between two different elements is determined by their electronegativity. The more electronegative an element is, the more it attracts the electron density in the bond.
•Normally in organic molecules the heteroatom is more electronegative than carbon and thus carbon bears a slight positive charge. This is not usually the case when carbon is bonded to a metal.
•An orbital diagram*for methyllithium shows that the filled C-Li orbital is close in energy to the carbon orbital, so the electrons reside mostly on the carbon atom.
•This means that carbon in these compounds is susceptible to electrophilic attack. This can be used in organic synthesis for carbon-carbon bond formation by reacting with ‘positive’ carbon, for instance with an organic aldehyde in an addition reaction, as shown here*.
(155 words)
*indicates when speaker should point to overhead (you would need to add a suitable example to your slide or replace the one given)

76. ENERGY
sp3 sp3 sp3 sp3

MO
MO
*
2s
Li. Li C C.
lithium carbon
bond
lithium-carbon
atom bond
these three orbitals are
involved in C-H bonds
Orbital diagram for the C-Li bond in MeLi
Simple carbon-carbon bond forming reaction

77. References
•L.A. McGrew, J. Chem. Educ., 1993, 70, 543.
•T.P. Kee, Educ. In Chem., 1995, 100-101.
•R. Murray & R. G. Wallace, S205 The Molecular World, Book 11: Developing Skills (Science Supplementary Material), 2002, 22-26, Open University Press.

78. Conclusions and roundup
Good teaching methods are developed over the years and need to be built on good foundations
Assessment methods are often in the hands of the institution and the new lecturer can generally have little say in these at the macro level but there can be scope for innovation at the micro level
Established methods of teaching, learning and assessment are not necessarily the best, neither are new fashions and trends. As in all things wise judgement is called for
There can often be good ideas and practices to be found in the old literature which lay forgotten
Besides establishing their credentials as good researchers, young academic staff should not neglect establishing an identity as a good teacher
The days of being an excellent researcher and a poor lecturer are over
Raising research income and establishing a strong positive reputation relies on good communication skills –JUST WHAT ARE NEEDED IN TEACHING!

79. Conclusions and roundup
Good teaching methods are developed over the years and need to be built on good foundations
Assessment methods are often in the hands of the institution and the new lecturer can generally have little say in these at the macro level but there can be scope for innovation at the micro level
Established methods of teaching, learning and assessment are not necessarily the best, neither are new fashions and trends. As in all things wise judgement is called for
There can often be good ideas and practices to be found in the old literature which lay forgotten
Besides establishing their credentials as good researchers, young academic staff should not neglect establishing an identity as a good teacher
The days of being an excellent researcher and a poor lecturer are over
Raising research income and establishing a strong positive reputation relies on good communication skills –JUST WHAT ARE NEEDED IN TEACHING!

80. Conclusions and roundup
Good teaching methods are developed over the years and need to be built on good foundations
Assessment methods are often in the hands of the institution and the new lecturer can generally have little say in these at the macro level but there can be scope for innovation at the micro level
Established methods of teaching, learning and assessment are not necessarily the best, neither are new fashions and trends. As in all things wise judgement is called for
There can often be good ideas and practices to be found in the old literature which lay forgotten
Besides establishing their credentials as good researchers, young academic staff should not neglect establishing an identity as a good teacher
The days of being an excellent researcher and a poor lecturer are over
Raising research income and establishing a strong positive reputation relies on good communication skills –JUST WHAT ARE NEEDED IN TEACHING!

81. Conclusions and roundup
Good teaching methods are developed over the years and need to be built on good foundations
Assessment methods are often in the hands of the institution and the new lecturer can generally have little say in these at the macro level but there can be scope for innovation at the micro level
Established methods of teaching, learning and assessment are not necessarily the best, neither are new fashions and trends. As in all things wise judgement is called for
There can often be good ideas and practices to be found in the old literature which lay forgotten
Besides establishing their credentials as good researchers, young academic staff should not neglect establishing an identity as a good teacher
The days of being an excellent researcher and a poor lecturer are over
Raising research income and establishing a strong positive reputation relies on good communication skills –JUST WHAT ARE NEEDED IN TEACHING!

82. Conclusions and roundup
Good teaching methods are developed over the years and need to be built on good foundations
Assessment methods are often in the hands of the institution and the new lecturer can generally have little say in these at the macro level but there can be scope for innovation at the micro level
Established methods of teaching, learning and assessment are not necessarily the best, neither are new fashions and trends. As in all things wise judgement is called for
There can often be good ideas and practices to be found in the old literature which lay forgotten
Besides establishing their credentials as good researchers, young academic staff should not neglect establishing an identity as a good teacher
The days of being an excellent researcher and a poor lecturer are over
Raising research income and establishing a strong positive reputation relies on good communication skills –JUST WHAT ARE NEEDED IN TEACHING!

83. Conclusions and roundup
Good teaching methods are developed over the years and need to be built on good foundations
Assessment methods are often in the hands of the institution and the new lecturer can generally have little say in these at the macro level but there can be scope for innovation at the micro level
Established methods of teaching, learning and assessment are not necessarily the best, neither are new fashions and trends. As in all things wise judgement is called for
There can often be good ideas and practices to be found in the old literature which lay forgotten
Besides establishing their credentials as good researchers, young academic staff should not neglect establishing an identity as a good teacher
The days of being an excellent researcher and a poor lecturer are over
Raising research income and establishing a strong positive reputation relies on good communication skills –JUST WHAT ARE NEEDED IN TEACHING!

84. Conclusions and roundup
Good teaching methods are developed over the years and need to be built on good foundations
Assessment methods are often in the hands of the institution and the new lecturer can generally have little say in these at the macro level but there can be scope for innovation at the micro level
Established methods of teaching, learning and assessment are not necessarily the best, neither are new fashions and trends. As in all things wise judgement is called for
There can often be good ideas and practices to be found in the old literature which lay forgotten
Besides establishing their credentials as good researchers, young academic staff should not neglect establishing an identity as a good teacher
The days of being an excellent researcher and a poor lecturer are over
Raising research income and establishing a strong positive reputation relies on good communication skills –
JUST WHAT ARE NEEDED IN TEACHING!

94. Thank you for viewing

95. CAS
+44 (0) 7531860983
dr_ray_wallace@hotmail.com
© Ray Wallace 2014